Ski lift apparatus and method



July 11, 1967 E, GAYNOR I 3,330,223

SKI LIFT APPARATUS AND METHOD Filed NOV. 25, 1964 5 SheetsSheet 1 July 11, 1967 P. E. GAYNOR SKI LIFT APPARATUS AND METHOD 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 23, 1964 July 11, 1967 P. E. GAYNOR 3,330,223

SKI LIFT APPARATUS AND METHOD Filed Nov. 23, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet United States Patent C) 3,330,223 SKI LIFT APPARATUS AND METHOD Paul E. Gaynor, 174 Lowell St., Arlington, Mass. 02174 Fiied Nov. 23, 1964, Ser. No. 413,184 5 Claims. (Cl. 104-173) This invention relates to an improved method and apparatus for transporting passengers from one point to another and, more particularly, the invention is concerned with a novel loading technique for ski lift apparatus by means of which a larger number of skiers may be loaded onto the ski lift apparatus and transported to the top of a ski slope in a given time interval.

Various types of ski lift equipment are employed in ski areas, including T bars, chair lifts, gondolas, and the like, and all of these devices as presently constructed are comprised by an endless conveyor cable supported on towers and having a considerable number of carrier units supported or otherwise attached thereto. All such equipment is subject to the common disadvantage that a very considerable spacing is required between successive carrying units to provide adequate opportunity for skiers, usually wearing skiis and carrying poles, to approach a loading station and move into a suitable position to be picked up by the moving chair or other carrier unit. In the case of the chair lift and gondola type of carrying unit, the skier is lifted from the loading area and transported through the air while in the case of T bar and similar devices the skier is drawn along a snow-covered track.

In all of the types referred to safety provisions further necessitate a substantial interval for each loading operation to take place. This is essential to provide for skiers falling and arising before a successive unit can approach the loading area. Thus a considerable number of skiers form in line and a long waiting period is frequently experienced when a large number of skiers are present. It will also be appreciated that ski lift equipment involves a heavy investment and a very limited season is available for profitable operation. Thus there is a need for increasing the number of skiers transported in a limited time interval as well as avoiding long waiting lines which may result in a drop in number of skiers patronizing a given ski area.

With the foregoing limitations in mind, I have conceived of a novel method of providing loading stations and controlling the movement of ski lift carrier units therethrough to carry out alternate loading of skiers so that a relatively larger number of skiers may be transported in a given interval of time without too great a change in safety provisions.

Essentially the alternate loading method of the invention is based on the concept of utilizing two or more loading stations located one ahead of another and providing reversing guide means by which successive carrier units are guided along traversing paths of travel. In this alternate loading technique two or more lines of skiers form and approach the loading stations and successive carrier units are guided first to one loading station and then to another, and two or more loadings may take place at one time.

It is, therefore, a general object of the invention to provide an improved method of transporting passengers on a ski lift apparatus and to devise a method and means for 3,330,223 Patented July 11, 1967 loading skiers more safely and at a faster rate to increase the carrying capacity of any conventional form of cableoperated ski equipment.

It is a further specific object of the invention to provide a method and means for controlling the travel of carrier units so that successive units are caused to move along traversing paths of travel in a unique manner.

The nature of the invention and its other objects and novel features will be more fully understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view illustrating a traversing frame apparatus of the invention and further indicating fragmentarily ski lift cable and carrier units attached thereto; I

FIGURE 2 is a plan view further illustrating the traversing frame apparatus of FIGURE 1 and further indicating diagrammatically two separated lines of skiers approach ing spaced apart loading zones beside the ski lift apparatus;

FIGURE 3 is another plan view showing the traversing frame with carrier units moving through alternate loading positions;

FIGURE 4 is a vertical cross sectional view taken through the ski lift cable and traversing frame further illustrating in elevation a carrier unit with skiers loaded thereon; and

FIGURE 5 is a detail cross section taken on the line 5*5 of FIGURE 4.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, I have shown therein one preferred embodiment of means for carrying out the alternate loading technique of the invention. It will be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiment shown and the method may be practiced in various other forms. FIGURE 1 illustrates the traversing frame apparatus of the invention without loading. FIGURES 2 and 3 illustrate the traversing frame apparatus and carrier units in various loading and transporting positions.

As shown in FIGURE 1, numeral 2 denotes a conveyor cable of the class commonly employed in ski lift equipment. It will be understood that the cable is an endless loop which is supported in the conventional manner on towers extending all the way from the bot-tom of a ski slope area to a top thereof. In this conventional installation referred to the cable is moved by a suitable driving mechanism usually at the base of the slope and the lower and upper ends of the cable are constantly passing around a circular track member in the immediate vicinity of the loading and unloading stations.

In carrying out one preferred embodiment of the invention method, I provide two loading stations S1 and S2 indicated diagrammatically in FIGURE 1 and arranged one ahead of the other in spaced apart relation below and at one side of a section of the cable 2 which is moving uphill. I also locate beside the loading stations S1 and S2 reversing guide means comprising a pair of traversing frame members having reversing guide elements mounted thereon. The traversing frame members are generally denoted by reference characters T1 and T2. I further provide a plurality of specially constructed carrier units which are of the chair lift type as suggested in FIGURE l and which are intended to be illustrative of various 3 other carrier units such as T bars, I bars, gondolas and the like.

Attention is directed to the carrier unit indicated in FIGURE 1 which is denoted by reference character L1. As shown therein member L1 is suspended from a pivoted rod assembly or linkage made up of an upper rod section 4 pivotally connected to a lower rod section 6. The lower rod section 6 is secured to the carrier unit L1 by a fastening 8 and the upper rod section 4 is provided with a cable clamp 10 which is secured to the cable 2 and a roll 11 located intermediately thereof. Similar suspension rod linkages are attached to all of the carrier units in the system.

The linkages described are designed to engage the frames. T1 and T2 as described below. As noted in FIG- URE l the frame T1 is comprised by upright members as 16 and 18 and supported at the upper ends of these uprights 16 and 18 is a horizontally disposed body made up of rail sections 20 and 22 which are held in spaced relation by cross braces 24 and 26 and which have tubular extremities meeting at an angle to provide tapered portions 28 and 30.

Fixed to the tapered portion 28 is a supporting arm 32 through which is received at the outer end thereof a pivot element 34 and pivotally mounted on element 34 is a reversing guide element or switch member 36. The reversing guide element 36 is formed with spaced apart selector vanes 38, 40 and .42 which radiate outwardly in predetermined spaced relationship to one another and these vanes are arranged to swing through limited arcs of rotation determined by engagement of the vanes 40 and 42 with the tapered frame section 28. It will also be observed that the vanes are positioned directly below the cable 2. It will be apparent-therefore that the selector vane 38 will always lie angularly across the path of forward travel of the suspension rod linkages either on one side or the other of said path of travel. Thus the vane 38 acts as a selector switch and when the vane 38 in one angled position is engaged by the rod linkage along one side it will cause the vane 40 to pivot into contact with tapered end 28. This turns the vane 38 into an oppositely angled position and then it will be contacted on its opposite side by the next succeeding rod. This causes vane 42 to pivot about its axis'and come into contact with the opposite side of tapered end 28.

There is also provided a second traversing frame T2 constructed in a similar manner to frame T1 and this second frame is spaced forwardly to provide a passageway between the two members. The parts of frame T2 are indicated by similar but primed numerals. It will thus be seen that successive carrier units will move into the re versing guide mechanism and will be alternately turned so as to run along firstone guide rail and then the other of the traversing frame T1. It will also be apparent that by arranging the second traversing frame T2 and its reversing guide means in a suitable position with respect to a carrier unit leaving the first frame a similar alternating travel of carrier units will occur'here also. Therefore by having the carrier units move in a controlled sequence along traversing paths of travel, it becomes possible to selectively move carrier units to each of the loading stations S1 and S2 with approximately the same time interval elaps'rng between loadings at two stations as would normally occur between loadings at one station.

This alternate loading technique is more clearly shown in FIGURES 2 and 3 wherein I have illustrated a series of successive carrier units moving into and out of various loading positions relative to the two traversing frames T1 and T2. In FIGURE 2 these carrier units are shown occurring in equally spaced apart relation to the cable 2 and denoted by the reference characters L2, L3, L4. I have also indicated two separate lines of skiers moving into the loading, stations S1 and S2 with the lines being indicated at A and B.

In FIGURE 2 carrier unit L2 is shown after having picked up passengers at station S1 and being guided through the reversing guide 32' into a position opposite to station S2. Carrier unit L3 is shown after having been passed through guide 32 and about to move into guide 32 to be directed into station B. Carrier unit L4 is shown in position to approach guide 32 and become deflected toward station S1.

In FIGURE 3, the carrier unit L2 has moved ahead out of view while carrier unit L3 has passed through reversing guide 32' into loading station S2. At the same time carrier unit L4 has passed through guide 32 into loading station S1 and a next succeeding carrier is seen at L5.

It will be observed that the reversing guides after each engagement are automatically set in a position to carry out a correct selective turning as each succeeding carrier unit passes therethrough. Thus vane 38 is at one side of the cable 2 in FIGURE 2 as is also vane 38', whereas these positions of 38 and 38' are reversed in FIGURE 3.

By means of this alternate loading technique described, it will be evident that a greatly increased number of passengers may be loaded and transported from the bottom of a ski slope in a given unit of time. It should also be understood that a similar arrangement of traversing frames may be used in connection with unloading operations and, if desired, a larger number of stations and reversing guide mechanisms may be employed.

Although I have disclosed a preferred form'of reversing guide for causing the carrier units to move along traversing paths of travel, I may desire to utilize various other types of mechanisms by meausof which selective turning of carrier units may be realized.

It will also be understood that various other changes and modifications may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A ski lift apparatus comprising an endless conveyor cable mounted in a raised position on tower members, a

plurality of carrier units pivotally connected to the cable, rod members for suspending the carrier units from the cable, a plurality of traversing frames including uprights and spaced apart horizontally rail portions mounted on the uprights in a position to engage the pivotally connected;

load members and deflect the carrier units alternately from one side to another and reversing guide means pivotally mounted on the frames for selectively engaging the rod means and turning the carrier units along traversing paths of travel in a predetermined sequence. V

2. In an apparatus for transporting passengers, a powerdriven elevated conveyor cable mechanism, a plurality of loading stations for passengers, said loading stations being located in spaced-apart relation along the cable mechanism to receive passengers advancing in separated rows,

a plurality of carrier units attached to the cable mechanism, reversing guide means arranged in front of each of the said loading stations in the path of travel of the carrier units, said reversing guide means cooperating with the spaced-apart loading stations to selectively guide successive carrier units along traversing paths of travel and to load passengers from the said separated rows of passengers in an alternating manner. V

3 A structure according to claim 2 in which the loading stations occur along one side only of the cableimechaw nism.

4. In a ski lift apparatus for transporting skiers a powerdriven elevated conveyor cable mechanism, a plurality of loading stations located in spaced-apart relation along one side of the cable mechanism to receive passengers advancing in separated rows, a plurality of carrier units, pivoting suspension arm means connected between each of the carrier units and the said cable mechanism in spacedapart relationship, reversing guide means arranged in front of each of the said loading stations in the path'of travel of the suspension arms of respective, carrier units, said reversing guide means operative to slidably engage 5 6 Suspension arm means of successive carrier units and to References Cited selectively guide successive carrier units along traversing UNITED STATES PATENTS aths of travel throu h the load'n stations in an a-lternat- P 1 g 500,547 7/1893 Anderson 104178 ing manner.

5. A structure according to claim 4 in which the re- 5 versing guide means includes a rigid frame structure and reversible pivoting guide elements mounted in the frame ARTHUR LA POINT Prunary Examme structure. D. F. WORTH, Assistant Examiner.

1,112,710 12/1963 VauEvera 104178 

1. A SKI LIFT APPARATUS COMPRISING AN ENDLESS CONVEYOR CABLE MOUNTED IN A RAISED POSITION ON TOWER MEMBERS, A PLURALITY OF CARRIER UNITS PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO THE CABLE, ROD MEMBERS FOR SUSPENDING THE CARRIER UNITS FROM THE CABLE, A PLURALITY OF TRAVERSING FRAMES INCLUDING UPRIGHTS AND SPACED APART HORIZONTALLY RAIL PORTIONS MOUNTED ON THE UPRIGHTS IN A POSITION TO ENGAGE THE PIVOTALLY CONNECTED LOAD MEMBERS AND DEFLECT THE CARRIER UNITS ALTERNATELY FROM ONE SIDE TO ANOTHER AND REVERSING GUIDE MEANS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON THE FRAMES FOR SELECTIVELY ENGAGING THE ROD MEANS AND TURNING THE CARRIER UNITS ALONG TRAVERSING PATHS OF TRAVEL IN A PREDETERMINED SEQUENCE. 